There is always significant debate when it comes to the best movies of all time. Ratings can be deceptive, critics can be challenged and hype can play a significant part in shaping a social, collective reaction.
Watching a movie can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, both good and bad and like riding a rollercoaster, the best ones are always the ones we remember for years to come. Many people will label and cast assertions about specific genres.
Many men for example, will judge a romantic film as being a ‘chick flick’ which men may only watch when with a female companion. Similarly, many women will judge an action film as being nothing but ‘explosions’ and ‘fast cars’, things which naturally appeal more to men.
So what happens when genres collide? You get the likes of Avatar producing a cocktail of action and romance, admidst a war torn climate with highlighted themes of greed and corrpution. You get the brilliantly acted Forrest Gump which mixes heartfelt drama with comedic elements, creating an unlikely blend of humour and sadness.
A lot of the best movies do not tie themselves to one genre and allow themselves to reach a larger amount of viewers by incorporating influences from different genres. Obviously, if a movie was to take extracts from every genre then it’s likely that it wouldn’t be very successful, however, in moderation a mix of genres can go a long way in creating a cinematic masterpiece.
Vodkaster.com has attempted to create a visual representation of this phenonemon in the form of a subway map. The concept behind this is that each genre is represented by a subway line, while each movie is represented by a station. The points at which these lines meet is where the film has adopted a position between two genres.
Do you agree that these movies are the best of all time? Do you feel that more of these movies have a cross section of genres? Tell us in the comments.
